VOORHEES, N.J. - Sean Couturier is only 18 years old, so he is pretty green when it comes to reading tea leaves.

Good thing the Flyers sometimes provide a few clues to their translation.

Ask general manager Paul Holmgren or coach Peter Laviolette to tell you what they're thinking about when finalizing their roster for the start of the season, and they give you a song and a dance.

But if you ask them about a specific player and you either get a lot of good info, or a terse response.

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The former would suggest the player has a spot on the roster. The latter, not so much.

So when Holmgren is asked about Couturier, the prize draft selection the Flyers made in June with the pick (No. 8 overall) acquired from Columbus as part of the Jeff Carter trade, to hear him gush tells you all you need to know.

"We'll talk about him at length, he's played good," Holmgren said of Couturier. "At the end of the day, we'll do what is right for the organization and for Sean.

"He's a very well-rounded guy, he might be one of our smarter defensive players," Holmgren said. "The coach has no qualms putting him out to kill penalties, even 5-on-3. He knows his way around the defensive zone. "

If that's not enough, there's always the coach:

"I thought he had a good camp," Laviolette said. "Defensively he did a lot of things right. He played a solid two-way game. He threw in some points. He was a plus player. We used him in every situation imaginable. He played well.

"At that age, some people are really developed, but their body is going to be even stronger at 23 than it is at 18. One guy that comes to mind for me is Eric Staal. When he came in at 18, it was one thing. At 23, he was a man and a lot harder to play against.

"I think you work on those things over time. It'll get there. But you wouldn't know it by the way he plays though. He's a young player who will get stronger and he will be at another level of strength at 22-23-24 years old. But you wouldn't know it from training camp. He wasn't out-muscled, out-positioned or rattled many times at all. He was a plus. He did a good job."

All that translates into Couturier likely making the roster.

"Since Day One, I've gotten better and better and gave a good impression," Couturier said. "I don't know what they're going to do with me."

The last 18-year-old to play for the Flyers was Luca Sbisa, but he didn't play a full season. You'd have to go back to Simon Gagne in 1999-2000 to find the last 18-year-old who played an entire season with the Flyers. (Justin Williams also played a full season the following year - the same year he was drafted, but Williams turned 19 before the season began).

"I just needed to play my game, be strong on pucks and play good, solid hockey," Couturier said. "I think I've done good. We'll see. This is a great team with a lot of depth.

"I tried to stay within myself and play my game and show that I'm mature enough to stick around."

Couturier seems like he may have beaten out Brayden Schenn for the third line center spot. Schenn, 20, missed a chunk of camp nursing a left shoulder injury. He returned to practice Sunday, but still hasn't been cleared for physical contact.

The difference between Schenn and Couturier is the Flyers can have Schenn start the season in the AHL if they wish because he doesn't have to clear waivers at age 20.

Couturier either has to stay with the Flyers all season or be returned to his junior team, Drummondville of the QJMHL.

The Flyers must make a final decision on Couturier for the season before he plays his tenth professional game.

Another reason Schenn could be sent down is because his salary cap hit is a bit prohibitive ($3.1 million) for the start of the season. He could be recalled at a more beneficial time for the team.

"I thought he played well but I would have liked to have seen him more," Laviolette said of Schenn. "It's hard. Andreas Nodl the same thing. I would have liked to have seen him more as well. We're trying to slot people and find out the jockeying of everything and that makes it difficult when guys aren't in the lineup."

That's coach-speak for "these guys aren't in our immediate plans."

While Schenn will still be a big part of the team's future, Nodl could be on the trading block this week.

A solid defensive forward, Nodl never found a consistent scoring touch last season. That may cost him a spot because undrafted rookie Matt Read seemed to impress enough in camp to make the team.

Nodl could also start the season with the team while Jody Shelley serves his five-game suspension, giving the Flyers an extra 10 days or so to tidy up the roster.